straw balance
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Making a Straw Balance
9th Annual Day of the Teacher Conference
March 26, 2011
CSUEB Concord Campus
Charles Reynes Elementary Science
SpecialistCastro Valley, USD
Making a Straw BalanceMaterials Balance pattern
printed on 110 lb. bond card stock
Mass pieces pattern
Large 8 inch “fat” straw
Hole punch Scissors
Making a Straw Balance Cut out the
parts for the balance.
Punch holes in the handles of the balance pans.
Making a Straw Balance Fold all the
pieces on the dotted lines.
Place the fulcrum on its base.
Making a Straw BalanceUse a ruler to find the center of the straw.Notch the center of the straw with a hole punch.
Making a Straw BalanceCut a slit 4-5 millimeters from each end of the straw.Fold over the slit to attach the balance pan. Once the end is inserted into the holes of the pan, unfold to lock the pan in place.
Slits
Notch
Making a Straw Balance
Place the pans on the base. The notch must rest on the base.
Cut a slit down the middle of a small section of straw. Place this on the balance beam like sleeve. Slide the piece to “zero out” the balance.
Making a Straw Balance Cut out the mass pieces. Cut the centigram pieces into groups of 5 or
10.
Making a Straw Balance Zero out the balance by adjusting the
slider. Place the object to be massed in one pan. Pile mass pieces in the other pan until both
pans are off the table.
Making a Straw Balance Count the pieces to
determine the number of of grams, decigrams, and centigrams. 0 grams 27 decigrams 35 centigrams 7(5 cg)
Making a Straw Balance
Convert to grams. 35 cg: 0.35 grams
27 dg: 2.7 grams
The mass of the penny is 3.05 grams.
Teaching With a Straw Balance
Find the mass of small objects.Compare the mass of pennies minted before and after 1982.
Use the balance to calculate the amount of water in a carrot slice.